Hi, I'm fairly new to magic. I don't have an alter yet. The place that I've been having in mind is filled with Ladybugs. Lots of them. Does this mean anything?
The only lore I've read about Ladybugs says that they are good omens! Nothing that I found was bad so I'd say let them share your altar space... Sure can't hurt!
Blessed be,
AstridSpirit
Ladybugs (Ladybirds, here in England) live on Aphids. Aphids infest Roses, so that is probably why there are so many Ladybugs in that one place. Lucky you! That place is doubly blessed, and is the ideal place for an altar.
Every fall when the ladybugs congregate for hibernation I always go on a nature walk to try and find them. They are a good omen and I always look for things that can be added to my magical collection around where they are. Sounds like a fantastic place to make an altar to me.
In Native lore, it says if you catch a lady bug that you can whisper a wish and when you let it go it will fly up to the sun and tell it your wish so it may be granted. I've heard other lore that is similar to this.
In France, theres a myth if a Ladybug landed on you, whatever ailment you had would fly away with the Ladybug.
A lore in farming areas said that If the spots on the wings of a Ladybug are more than seven, it's a sign of coming famine. If less than seven, it means you will have a good harvest.
Just thought you might find those random myths interesting.
If you live in the US, the Asian lady beetle is infesting our country and nothing stops them because they have no natural predators here. They are not our treasured gentle red ladybugs but orange and even some are almost yellow/brown. They bite, they can stink if you crush them, and they pour into houses during the end of autumn to hibernate in corners. They literally pour into my house through my front door. I'll open it up to my screen door being full of them inside and out! The aphids accompany them during their migration period and they fit through the screens in droves, but don't survive long enough to be pests. The asian lady beetles are in my house as I type this, smacking into wall and huddled in corners in pairs (with their mate). I find them dead randomly throughout the winter as my house spiders assassinate them one by one. If you try to remove them yourself, they'll release this fluid that permanently stains whatever they were resting on. They don't go after food, so I just leave them alone. If I throw them outside they'll die in the cold or end up dead in another building they decide to swarm.
Does it mean anything? Technically luck. But I don't find these orange ones lucky. I'm lucky if I can spot one of the pretty red ones I grew up being so fond of.
